Before Her
by AlwaysForgotten
Summary: What happened to Kate? Was she out of control? Who hunted her? How did they do it? If you've ever wondered about the end of Kate's life...wonder no more. COMPLETE
1. At The Beginning

_Disclaimer: I do not own Witch Hunter Robin..._

This is the second Witch Hunter Robin fanfic I've done, this one, however, is the first I've completed, the other is still going. This is just six chapters long so it's finished, I just finished it up about ten minutes ago after forgetting about it almost completely. Now, it wasn't meant to be long, the shorter chapters are how they are on purpose. OAV's are generally six episodes long and I, for some reason, found myself wanting to space it out over six chapters. Please read and review, it's what keeps me going and I very much enjoy reading what others have to say about my writings. Just because it's being posted in its completed entirety doesn't mean I don't want feedback. -Laughs-

The tapping of keys, the turning of pages, and otherwise silence.

Michael sat at his computer looking for information on their newest witch, Kenji Takahashi, oddly bored with his work. Doujima sat at her desk, flipping tiredly through pages of a fashion magazine while Karasuma, also at her desk, quietly sipped at her coffee. Sakaki was sleeping with his head on his desk while Amon sat quietly with his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest, thinking.

His partner, Kate, was at her desk reading a book. She hadn't said anything or barely moved in the last three hours. Today was a slow day but Amon's mind couldn't have been busier. Kate was a 20 year old, brown haired, blue eyed craft user that had been assigned to them five months prior. The hunter before her had been removed and repositioned at HQ thus Kate's deployment. He wasn't close with her, they barely spoke, but they trusted each other...to an extent. The somewhat flimsy trust was on Amon's part...half of him figured she was his partner and therefore was on his side, the other half was telling him something was wrong. Okay, maybe more than half was telling him something was wrong. About 75 percent of him was...

She was rather normal when she first came to the STNJ. Up until then, Amon learned, she had been in training. The STNJ was her first assignment. She fit in pretty easily, she didn't talk a lot but she never shyed away from someone who wanted to talk. Lately though, her talks with others had become fewer and farther inbetween...they had also been shortened to only a few sentences. Her usual happy behavior also disappeared...and was replaced with something...cold...not quite there...

Zaizen had become suspicious, her behavior changing so suddenly that it even attracted the attention of their absentee boss. He had told Amon to watch her...

So far, she had done nothing wrong but there was certainly something off. He'd have to watch more closely.

"I've got a lead on Takahashi's location."

Michael's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and back into the present. It was time for a hunt and the mystery of Kate would have to wait until after.


	2. The Hunt

"We've finally located Takahashi, he's pretty close. I'll send you the directions on your way there."

And with that, everyone got up to leave. As Amon exited the room he noticed Kate following behind him as usual. They walked to the elevator in silence, them being the first two to reach it meaning they would be going down alone as the others lagged slightly behind. They got in, Amon hit the button for the bottom floor, and they waited. The silence between the two of them was sickening, Amon could actually feel his stomach twisting although on the outside you would never tell. He didn't know why he felt like that but the ride down felt like it was taking a lifetime or two. He just wanted out of that small space...he looked over at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was staring blankly ahead. That was unnerving. Now, Amon wasn't afraid of her nor did he want to hunt her...there was nothing holding him back from hunting her, no personal feelings or attatchment. He would just rather avoid such a sticky situation, he didn't enjoy hunting strangers or colleagues the latter being something he had yet to experience...and hopefully never would.

Contrary to what others may believe, he actually thought about what he might have to do. He didn't try to think of a way to avoid it, wasn't scared of it, wouldn't miss her if he had to kill her...but simply put, her "disappearance" wouldn't go unnoticed and he knew he'd have to live with it. It just felt different than hunting someone he had no prior connection with.

Finally, the elevator hit the bottom floor and the doors opened. He briskly walked out ahead of her thankful for fresh air and space. He quickly realized that he would then have to ride in the car with her which was an even smaller space. Crap. He got in and shut his door, Kate doing the same moments later. They buckled up, he started the car, and then pulled out seeing Karasuma and the others getting into their cars as well.

Silence yet again, no words had been exchanged yet. He quickly let his mind wander and of course, it went to Kate. What if she knew? What if she knew he had followed her a few times? What if she could sense that something was up? What if he was just being paranoid? He shook away the questions thinking there was no way she could know. He had been careful...no, she hadn't caught on.

Thankfully, just then Michael chose to send them the directions to wherever Takahashi was located. Kate, finally speaking, quietly gave Amon the directions, as they weren't far away now. He soundlessly nodded his head in understanding and headed towards an abandoned warehouse...of course, he thought, it had to be abandoned. He supposed it was for the better, no one would be around to get hurt.

Arriving at the warehouse, Amon and Kate both got out soon joined by the others. They split up into their usual teams, Amon with Kate and Karasuma with Sakaki. How he ended up with Kate in the first place was a mystery to him, he would, for once, like to have someone that didn't make him feel so damn tense all the time. He, again, shook such thoughts from his mind and forced himself to think of the hunt.

Takahashi's craft was of ice but fortunately enough for the hunters, he wasn't too good with it. He had just awakened and had no idea what he was doing, he acted on pure instinct. They quickly found him, in the corner of a room, looking more pathetic by the second...he was falling apart. He threw everything he had at them, accomplishing nothing as the orbo and Kate's much stronger and more precise craft of wind protected them with ease. He stopped and just stood there, exhausted, confused, and terrified. It was over. He didn't have too much of a fight in him, he was just so messed up. Amon and the others swiftly took him down with a few shots of orbo and had Michael contact the Factory.

They awaited the arrival of the Factory and as they waited Amon once again resumed watching Kate. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and saw some kind of emotion there...he wasn't sure of what it was but it didn't look good. She looked the same as she had for the past month or so but there was a spark. He furrowed his eyebrows together a bit, trying to read her but failed. He then heard the Factory van pull up and decided to turn to go. Realizing Kate wasn't with him nor had she noticed him leaving, he called after her.

"We're leaving." he said coldly. Turning to face him, she walked after him not saying anything. The ride back was as uneventful as the ride up was.

As soon as Amon had entered the office Zaizen called for him. He followed the older man back into his office and waited to hear what he had to say, knowing it was going to be about Kate.

"Notice anything...peculiar?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

"No, sir."

"Are you sure? You're watching her close enough?"

"Yes sir."

"I think you need to watch her a bit closer, we needn't take any chances. Understand?"

Wordlessly, he nodded his head to which Zaizen waved his hand signaling that he was to leave. Amon turned to leave, determined to find out anything about his partner that he could. 


	3. Late Night Visits

It was almost dark out when everyone left the STNJ but it was still earlier than usual. As Amon left he made sure to take his sweet time exiting the office and then starting his car, giving Kate plenty of time to leave before him. She got into her car and left, him following her close enough so that he wouldn't lose her but far enough away that she wouldn't notice him.

He followed her for about 25 minutes before she turned off along side the road. He quickly made a right into a parking lot instead of passing her and risking her seeing him. He quietly observed her from afar using binoculars to better see what she was doing. He could just make out her outline on the phone with...someone...Why would she pull off after driving for so long to make a phone call? Strange.

He then watched as she put the phone away and pulled back out onto the road. He quickly put the binoculars down and pulled out of the parking lot, following her yet again. They drove for about 15 minutes, Kate pulling off again but instead, in front of an apartment building. He parked on the opposite side of the road away from her and watched as she entered the building. He wrote down the name of the building and waited to see if she came out alone or with someone. A bit later, she returned to her car alone and left. He again, followed her but this time she went to her apartment. He was done, there was no more he could do tonight except for go home and get some rest himself. He'd need it if he were going to check into who lived at that apartment building and narrow down who she could have been seeing as far as he could.

After entering his apartment, he went straight to the bathroom for a shower. He needed to loosen up. He stood in the shower, allowing the warm water to wash over him, helping to release the tension that had been building in his shoulders. After he finished, he head straight to bed, thinking it would be wise to just get some sleep.

Sleep, however, did not come. He wanted to know who she was meeting...he couldn't wait any longer. He got up and headed towards where his coat was, intending to get the piece of paper he had written the hotel name on. Then, he went to the kitchen table he rarely ate at and set up his laptop. He easily broke into the hotel's computer records, looking through the names and dates of arrivals and expected departures. He ruled out any permanent residents and any that had been there for several months since she hadn't been there any other time as far as Amon could tell from the times he had followed her. He decided it would be best to look at those who showed up no later than a month ago and after he narrowed it down as far as he could get it, he felt he found the guy.

Looking further into the man he suspected Kate to be meeting, he found he was a witch. It had to be him. Closing his laptop, he knew he had to tell Zaizen of what he had found. 


	4. Enter Amos Moretti

Arriving early, like usual, Amon headed straight to Zaizen's office. Knocking on the door, he awaited Zaizen's reply. "Come in." Amon heard the older man say through the door. 

"Anything new?" Zaizen asked cooly, lighting up a cigar.

"She met with someone last night, a witch."

Releasing a puff of smoke, Zaizen leaned back in his chair. "And?"

"It was a brief meeting but this witch, he seems to have connections. A shady character...we shouldn't trust him or Kate." Amon said coldly.

"Take care of it then."

"Sir?" Amon asked, unsure of what he meant.

"Hunt her...and him. We can't take any chances. Finish the man off first, we can't risk the possibility that he knows something he shouldn't." Zaizen said, his tone saying the conversation was over. Amon nodded and headed down the short hallway and out the door. It had been decided, he would hunt her and this man.

"Mm, I'm so bored..." Doujima yawned, lazily flipping through her magazine. Sakaki yawned and replied "You're always bored..."

Not listening to the childish bickering going on behind him, Amon had his mind set on hunting that man tonight. He shouldn't be too hard, all he had to do was get him out of the hotel if he wouldn't leave on his own. His craft was of earth but Amon felt sure he could handle him. He, afterall, had orbo and it never failed him. Looking over at Kate, he saw she was still reading her book and felt his stomach drop. Maybe he would miss her? But why? She wasn't a friend...It was just...she worked with him. Even though he didn't particularly like her he didn't want to hunt her..."But it's been decided...I must..." Amon thought to himself, making his way to his own desk.

Later that night, at about 7:00PM they were let go on Zaizen's orders. No one else thought anything of it but Amon figured it was due to the hunt he was to complete..."Zaizen must be thinking I could try tonight." he thought to himself as he drove along. He found himself making his way towards the hotel this man was staying at, not sure of whether he could hunt him so quickly. He parked his car in the same spot he had the night before and looked up at where he knew the man was staying. Shaking his head, he pulled himself together and walked across the street.

He entered the brightly lit hotel and made his way to the service desk. A man standing behind a computer, his glasses lit up by the screen, looked up from what he was typing and smiled. "How may I help you, sir?" he asked politely.

"I need you to tell Amos Moretti that I'm waiting for him. Tell him we have business that needs to be discussed." Amon said sternly, his voice conveying to the clerk that he did not want to elaborate. Nodding, the clerk picked up the phone, put it to his ear and leaning his head to the side so he could hold the phone between his ear and his shoulder, he looked up the number of the room Amos Moretti was staying in. With his eyebrows furrowed together, the man scrolled down until he found the correct room then dialed the number.

"Yes, Mr. Moretti, there is a man here to see you. He said you two have business to discuss...No, that's all he said, he's waiting here...Yes, goodbye." Turning to Amon the clerk said "He'll be down in a minute." before turning back to his computer. Amon walked away, towards a corner with a bookshelf and a chair beside it and leaned against the bookshelf. Keeping his eyes on the elevator, he put his hand inside his jacket and fingered his gun before pulling his hand back out of his jacket and crossing his arms over his chest.

He didn't have to wait long for Moretti to show, the elevator opening with a ding, a tall, dark skinned, Italian man making his way out and towards Amon. His face was set in a hard expression as though he knew what was coming. He stopped about four yards from Amon and before Amon could say anything, he coldy said "Maybe we should take this outside." Nodding, Amon allowed the man to walk ahead of him, not liking the idea of turning his back on an enemy. The man did not stop outside of the door, instead he walked across the street and kept going even past that. Amon wordlessly followed him becoming uneasy...

They finally came to a stop in a park and Amon quickly registered the fact that no one was around. It was dark, only a circle of light was being given off of a nearby lightpole. Moretti stood on one end of the light as Amon came to a stop on the other. Each man faced the other, each face impassive and yet threatening. Finally, Moretti spoke.

"You've come to hunt me, haven't you?" Moretti asked, his face twisting into a wicked smile. Amon said nothing, he only drew his gun and aimed it at the man.

"Hm, I knew it you..."

"How did you know?" Amon interrupted coldly.

"I know more than you think...you're a hunter, you work at the STNJ...you eliminate witches or at least who you think is a witch. I knew there was a possibility that I could get hunted, I was expecting this. I knew there was a chance the moment I got involved..." Moretti broke off there, letting Amon catch onto what he was saying, his grin widening.

"Got involved? With Kate you mean?" Amon asked, already knowing the answer.

Moretti nodded and then went on. "Yes, she feels her time as a hunter is dwindling, that she'll soon become the hunted. She didn't want to go out without a bang so she decided to screw over those who would eventually turn on her before she left...and possibly prevent her own death in doing so..." At this, Moretti ground his teeth together malevolently.

"Prevent her death? How could she possibly do that by meeting with you?" Amon asked, the coldness in his voice becoming even harsher. Moretti, however, wasn't phased by this.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I musn't divulge such pivotal information to the hunter." Moretti teased, waving one finger in the air as though he were reprimanding a small child. At this, Moretti's face contorted violently as he summoned forth his craft. The ground began to shake as theearth in front of Moretti began to break in a straight line as though something were tunneling straight towards Amon. It went so fast that Amon was caught off guard. It hit him head on but the orbo protected him, a bright green shield appearing as Moretti's craft hit him. Amon reacted quickly, firing off two shots, one hitting Moretti in the leg, the other missing as Moretti clumsily dodged the second bullet.

"Wait, orbo...she mentioned something about orbo...what is that shit!" Moretti yelled, panic in his voice. Amon ignored his question, more out of lack of an answer than wanting to get down to business. He fired off two more shots, both hitting Moretti square on. He screamed out in pain and then fell to the ground motionless. Amon called the Factory and waited until they arrived. As soon as they did, he exchanged a few words with one of the Factory workers and then left.

Just as he parked his car at his apartment, his cell phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket and looking to see who it was, he found Zaizen's number displayed.

"Amon." he said emotionlessly into the phone.

"Amon, you did well. One down, one to go but instead of capturing Kate I want you to kill her." Zaizen said calmly.

"Why, sir? What's different about her?" Amon asked, wondering if he would get an answer.

"Oh, that's no matter Amon, you needn't worry about that. Just do as you're told. Meet me in my office tomorrow morning, I have something set up." And with that, Zaizen hung up. Sighing, Amon got out of his car and made his way to his apartment, intending to get a bath and go to bed and forget what was to come until morning.


	5. An End And A Beginning

Waking up, Amon's heart almost immediately sped up. It hit him rather quickly that today would be the day...the day he hunted Kate. This wasn't just any hunt, not only was his target his own partner but he had to kill her. It wasn't as though the orbo had always been around, it wasn't as though he had never taken a life. He started working for the STNJ when he was 17 and orbo became available just about two months prior to Kate's arrival. He had welcomed the alternative to killing, he didn't enjoy it it so when Zaizen gave it to him and the others, he didn't question it.

Sitting up, Amon swung his legs over the side of his bed and sat there for a minute with his head in his hands. He then made his way into the bathroom and showered, got dressed, drank a cup of coffee and then left. The next thing he knew, he was at the STNJ and heading to Zaizen's office. He knocked on the door and waited for Zaizen to call him in. "Come in." was all he heard before he pushed open the door, shut it, then turned to walk down the same short hallway and into Zaizen's office. He was engulfed in a cloud of smoke emanating from Zaizen's cigar, it dangling carelessly from the old man's right hand as he reclined in his chair.

"Ah, Amon, it's good to see you." he said kindly. "Now, to get right down to business, I have a hunt planned for today. It will be just you and Kate. There will, however, be no witch. You will eliminate Kate and then call the Factory. They will take care of the body..." He finished, taking a drag of his cigar.

"But sir, won't the others be suspicious?" Amon asked, knowing Zaizen only had him on the hunt for a reason. He didn't want the whole team on it, he wanted it to be kept secret and he trusted Amon with that secret...but how he was going to keep such a thing quiet was beyond Amon.

Grinning, Zaizen put his cigar in the ash tray on his desk and crossed his arms over his chest, still reclined in his chair. "I'm glad to see that you are thinking, Amon. Yes, I've thought of that bothersome detail and I've decided the best way to go about dealing with it would be to keep this particular hunt from the others. You will go about your business today as usual but tonight, there will be another hunt. Everyone will be called but in reality, only you and Kate will be. You will go to the designated place, yet another abandoned warehouse a few blocks from here, and hunt her there. It being abandoned will give you an empty field to work with, you may do with it what you wish. You could lead her around, corner her, come up behind her, above her, it matters not. Just make sure you finish the job." Again, Zaizen's tone signified the end of the discussion so Amon turned to leave.

The day passed too quickly and yet painfully slow for Amon. There were no hunts, only information to go over which made the day seem to be going in slow motion. What was to come, though, made it seem as though time would jump. One minute it was 1:00PM, the next it was 3:30PM, and after that it would be 5:00PM, the time inbetween seeming to be slow until the jump. Eventually, Zaizen let them all go, again, early, this time at 6:00PM. Doujima jumped up and practically ran out, Sakaki schlepped from the office, yawning from boredom, and Karasuma gracefully made her exit waving to Amon, Kate, and Michael. Kate slowly stood, grabbed her coat, slung it over her right arm, and walked towards the exit. Amon did the same as soon as she was in the elevator and was sure she had had enough time to get in her car and leave. He didn't want to be stuck in another awkward silence, especially not now that he knew of what he had to do...

"See you tomorrow, Mr. Amon." Michael respectfully said to his superior as he exited, Amon nodding to the resident hacker in response. He made his way to his car, drove to where the hunt would take place and just sat there. He knew Zaizen would call Kate and she would just show up so he figured it would be best to just sit still instead of wasting time going home and then coming back.

About 45 had minutes passed when Kate pulled up along side Amon. Seeing this, he got out of his car and set into motion the plans he had worked out while sitting in his car with the layout of the building displayed on his communicator. He decided to send her to the first floor of the warehouse while he went to the second. He'd shoot her from up above, she'd never know what hit her...

Ten minutes into the plan, Amon had to find a way to loop her back around so he could get a clear aim.

"Kate, circle around and come back into the center, I'll come back around and meet you there." Amon ordered into his headset. He never intended to meet her, instead he took aim and waited for her to appear where he had sent her. Fifteen minutes passed and she hadn't appeared yet. Without looking away, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his communicator. He pushed a few buttons and up popped a map which would display her position. He looked down and saw a red dot, the one that represented her, laying almost on top of a blue dot...which represented him. Whipping around, Amon came face to face with Kate who was standing about six or seven yards away, her eyes fixed on him. Her face was blank but her eyes were full of emotion...

"Kate..." Amon muttered, shocked that she had figured him out. They both stood there looking each other in the eyes, Amon with his gun in his right hand down by his side, Kate unarmed except for her craft.

"Amon..." Kate whispered, her voice full of saddness. "What's happened to me?" Tears filled her eyes but her face remained impassive. Amon didn't know what to say...

"I'm imagining things you know...death...murder...you, Michael, and all the others...I don't want to hurt any of you..." She said, her eyes remaining focused on his.

"What did you do? With Amos Moretti?" Amon asked trying to keep his voice and face emotionless.

"I told him about the STNJ...I started to tell him about the orbo but..."

"What? About the orbo? What about the orbo?" he blurted out. He didn't even know about the orbo, what did she know?

"Nothing...I know nothing about the orbo...all I told him was it was suspicious...and that it, somehow, guards against the craft...most of the time it does." Kate whispered, a sad smile appearing on her formerly indifferent face. "I told him that we capture witches and that the other branchs of the STN don't...that Zaizen is up to something..."

"Why? Why did you do that Kate?" Amon asked with a bit of desperation in his voice. Maybe she wasn't out of control...maybe she was just spying on someone she thought was dangerous...

"Because...I knew...I knew this would happen. My mind is going, Amon, I can feel it...the things I think...they aren't right. My emotions are going, pain is all that is left. I thought...if I uncovered the STNJ's secrets, it would fall apart and the public would pick up on it all...and that, at the end, Solomon would be sent into a panic, that it would crumble and I'd get away. The thought...it was too tempting...so I found someone I thought I could tell that would be interested in bringing down the STN for my own benefit." The sad smile that had once made its way onto her face faded and left behind the saddest expression Amon had ever seen her display. Hell, this was the most emotion Amon had seen her display for a while, period...

"How? You've only been here five months. How...how did it happen so quickly?...How long?" Amon asked, his voice softening. He wasn't as cold as people thought...here Kate was, telling him she was losing it...how could he just shoot her and ignore her pain? He couldn't deal with her emotionally, he couldn't even deal with himself emotionally, but he had to know...

"The power, it's just too much...once I left the training facility in Italy, I was left on my own. I had no one to watch me, to guide me...I only lasted so long before I couldn't take it anymore. I've felt this way for about two months now...I guess I needed more training, huh?" A few tears spilled from her eyes but she smiled again, just as sad as before, if not, more so.

"I came to..."

" I know..." Kate whispered, interrupting Amon, closing her eyes as she replied. "Do it...go ahead, you have to...the thoughts, the feelings, they keep coming back...it's only a matter of time before I go completely..."

Raising his gun level with her heart, Amon's hand shook slightly...his heart was beating painfully in his chest. He was scared...he was actually scared. This was it, now or never, once it was done, it was done...no going back...

Amon took a deep breath before pulling the trigger...once...twice...he closed his eyes before shooting a second time, the only thing telling him that she was dead was the sound of her body hitting the ground... 


	6. Witch Hunter Robin

Six months later and things had gotten back to normal. The others mourned the loss of a fellow hunter but eventually moved on. Doujima was just as lazy as ever, Karasuma was just as dedicated, Michael was just as quick with research, and Sakaki was still the eager rookie. However, morale was down which was why...

"HQ is sending a new hunter..." Zaizen informed Amon one day in his office. "A craft user..."

"A craft user?" Amon whispered in disbelief. "Not again..." he thought to himself as he stood in Zaizen's office, looking his boss in the eye.

Sitting in Harry's with a drink to relieve him of his tension, Amon couldn't take his mind off of the new hunter..."A craft user...just like Kate...will I have to do it again? How long this time?..." Paying for his drink, Amon got up to leave suddenly feeling very old and very tired. Walking slowly down the hallway towards the door, he spotted a young woman with blonde hair pulled up in two odd pigtails on either side of her head, green eyes, and a long black dress. For some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off of her...and she was looking at him as well...

They followed each other with their eyes as they rounded the corner, the young woman making her way into the restaurant as Amon made his way out. Getting into his car, Amon shook his head as he started the car up and made his way back to the STNJ.

Amon rounded the corner of the abandoned warehouse after having heard Sakaki yell out in pain. Upon reaching his destination Amon saw Sakaki laying on the ground, the bottoms of his shoes covered in sand. He then heard a chanting coming from the corner of the room...turning to see who it was, his eyes fell upon the witch...The next thing he knew, he was flat on the ground on his stomach, looking the witch in the eyes. He painfully raised his gun to try and shoot the witch, only to be turned around so he couldn't see him anymore...they were losing...badly...

Then suddenly, fire appeared behind the witch frightening him, and a young woman made her way out of the shadows...blonde hair, green eyes, a long black dress, and a maroon colored trench coat over top of it..."That young woman..."

"A craft user..." Amon muttered causing the new hunter to cast a glance at him down on the floor out of the corner of her eyes.

"Fire this time..." 


End file.
